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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query birth of rock and roll. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query birth of rock and roll. Sort by date Show all posts

J. Charles Jessup, Convicted Preacher with a Triple-neck Mosrite guitar







Charles Jessup was married to a 15 year old girl while still married to his third wife. Rev. Jessup was a border radio fixture for years, sharing time on a mega-powerful station operating just across the Rio Grande (and outside of U. S. regulations) at the same time as Wolfman Jack. Robert Duvall cited him as an influence on his film The Apostle, and others have compared him to Elvis, but then Elvis was never convicted of mail fraud and using ill-gotten contributions from loyal listeners for cock-fighting.
Jessup barnstormed God's airways with mountain music, a squeaky voice and an insatiable sexual appetite. Taking in ten million dollars, he claimed was to help the Mexican people, he instead "llenarse los bolsillos" which is Spanish for "line your own pockets." And there are folks who worry about Mexicans coming here? Cars, Seaplanes, real estate...whatever supposed pleasures awaited his followers in the afterlife, he was taking full advantage of in the present.
Not to be outdone by his own brother's double-neck guitar, shown in a photo here...he ordered a custom made THREE neck guitar from the Mosrite Factory which surfaced a few years ago. I am not sure what he used to play it with, but perhaps his young wife can tell us. Amazingly, he continued to appear on other evangelist's programs after serving his sentence (at least one of which still operates in my home state) and they welcomed him as an inspiration! I include here several photos of Jessup and his posse with a scan of their 78 rpm record (which unfortunately I have not heard as God has not yet provided me with a working turntable, but he will, I believe)



JIM LINDERMAN'S LATEST BOOK IS THE BIRTH OF ROCK AND ROLL AVAILABLE NOW FROM THE PUBLISHER DUST TO DIGITAL AND AMAZON.  ALL KILLER, NO FILLER!  A MUSIC BOOK LIKE NO OTHER.
A double blog post here and on "old time religion"

Photo excerpts from "Heaven and Hell" "My Life's Story" "A Stirring Message on Death" all circa 1945-1950 by J. Charles Jessup, and "Preach the Word/I'll Meet you in the Morning" by Jessup Brothers on Jessup Brothers records, 78 rpm. All Collection Jim Linderman

American Folk Art in Place: IN - SITU The BOOK by Jim Linderman Available NOW!




AMERICAN FOLK ART IN PLACE: IN-SITU by Jim Linderman is NOW availableA large format vintage photography book which reveals hundreds of folk art environments and unique folk art sculptures as installed over the years.  The book documents numerous outsider art installations (many previously unknown) and photographs of known and unknown artists at work.  All photographs will be drawn from the collection of Jim Linderman, whose previous vintage photography books include the ground-breaking Take Me to the Water,  The Birth of Rock and Roll and Arcane Americana.  The book will be the companion to Eccentric Folk Art Drawings of the 19th and 20th Centuries from the Linderman Collection.  Same size, same format and also available as an affordable instant download e-book. American Folk Art In Place: In-Situ is a much expanded and revised edition of the now out of print original book of the same title.  Details and a free preview of the book will follow.  Inquiries to J.Winkel4@gmail.com 

Shown:  Untitled snapshot (Feed the Monkey) unknown location, circa 1950.  Collection Jim Linderman

Last Nail in the Coffin (The LAST Unheard Robert Johnson Track) 100 years of Traveling Riverside Blues


The only bad thing about Robert Johnson is that there are no more tracks to find. It used to be when one discovered an artist worth hearing, one had to go look for the rest at record stores, or under the mattress in bad neighborhoods.

Johnson is now 100...and they've all been found.
The last discovery was made in 1997 when an "obscene" track withheld from the Columbia releases was added to the public canon. That the obscene lyric is the now familiar and standard blues phrase involving "juice running down a leg" doesn't matter, what does matter is that although the recording was purchased by the national trust, we still had to pay Columbia/Sony to hear it. The unreleased version of Traveling Riverside Blues on a 10 inch test-pressing was sold by the Alan Lomax archive to the Library of Congress American Folklife Center for $10,000, and was at the time the only unheard track by the artist. That Columbia was allowed to profit from it 8 years after millions had already paid for the reissue of Johnson's other output in 1990 (and the LP version years earlier) seemed odd to me.
Billboard Magazine June 17, 2000
Folklife director Alan Jabbour said "It's part of the Robert Johnson legacy, which in turn is part of our blues legacy." Apparently, it was part of the Columbia Sony legacy as well, since they asked fans to purchase the entire set to hear the then single new 2:38 addition back in 1998. As you can tell, I never got over it! HUMPF!

But it was worth the wait and I gladly shelled out the dough for the shellac.


By the way, they also erased the smoke from Johnson's lips when they put him on a U.S. Postage Stamp. A perfect example of Orwell's premise. Erase the cigarette, erase history and create a new reality. Call me stickler.

The Birth of Rock and Roll is HERE

Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books HERE
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BRONZE THRILLS ! George Levitan Goes Black and Goes Smutty

Astoundingly, or maybe not...Bronze Thrills was published by a Caucasian.  George Levitan.  Not only that, Levitan was originally from the Upper Pennisula of Michigan and once said he never even saw a Black person until he was 18 years old,  according to Texas Monthly magazine in October 1983.  As a teen, Levitan moved to Detroit but he didn't stay long.  He moved to Forth Worth, Texas and bought the Good Publishing Company.  It was a good move.  Bronze Thrills was already being published, but George spiced it up a bit (as you can see)  more and commenced becoming a very rich man.

Not only Bronze Thrills (Breaking the Cross-Dressing barrier here with the story of a husband who got his kicks wearing women's clothes) but Hep, Jive, Sepia, Soul Confessions, Soul Teen and Soul Confessions.  A one-man Black publishing empire which was white!

That isn't to say George was a creep.  He hired African-American workers, trained them well, paid them well and promoted them to important positions.  Sure, the magazine was thrashy, but at the time there really wasn't much else for the race.  Soon his primary title, Sepia, was a moving force in the Black community.  He also helped raise funds for the United Negro College Fund. 

Issue of Bronze Thrills  "Thrill Girls: Men meant only sex and a good time to me" and "My Husband was a Transvestitie: He got his kicks from wearing women's clothes"  December 1966 Issue  Original  Collection Jim Linderman




Blues in Brooklyn African-American Mug Shots from the Collection of Jim Linderman






Real Black gangsters, I guess.  Criminals from the 1950s, but presumed, I am afraid, guilty until proven otherwise. Given attitudes, practices and institutional racism when taken,  these sharp-dressers might have been just walking to work.

Striking Photographs, each near 8" x 10" and each handed back and forth from lawyers, prosecutors, file clerks and now collectors. Another reminder that the photograph was a tool and a physical object which developed surface, wear and form as it aged.


Jim Linderman's newest book of photographs is THE BIRTH OF ROCK AND ROLL and is available from the publisher DUST TO DIGITAL, AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE AND OTHER FINE RETAIL OUTLETS.     

Vintage African-American Magazines Hot Black Romance







Black romance! Other than the dynamite duo of Jet and Ebony from Johnson Publications in Chicago, African-American magazines are surprisingly scarce, which is why the examples I pick to show here likely will not look familiar. Smaller circulations, segregated neighborhoods, institutional racism (did YOUR public library subscribe to Jive?) and other reasons account for their rarity. Plus, museums and serious collectors are now purchasing them to compensate for their earlier neglect. Unless you find a box somewhere, you might expect to pay 25 to 50 bucks apiece and more for a mint condition black romance magazine from the 1950s and 1960s...if and when you can find one.

Group of vintage African-American Romance magazines collection Jim Linderman

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THE BIRTH OF ROCK AND ROLL AVAILABLE HERE


Amplify

Dutch Twins at the Tulip Festival Wooden Shoes in Michigan 1943




Two crisp 8 x 10 original photographs from the Holland, Michigan Tulip Festival, a show which persists to this day.  They both show the Baker Twins.  They are joined by friends for the second.  The Tulip Time Festival has been going on since 1929, and as these photos are from 1943, they weren't going to let Hitler's occupation of the real Holland stop the show. 

In 1928, The Holland city council bought 100,000 tulip bulbs from Holland and stuck them in the ground.  They come up every year, and so do buses of tulip fans.  

Holland, MI is super-conservative and super-religious. The "What would Jesus Do" wristbands originated there.  The city recently adopted a backwards anti-discrimination policy which specifically omitted the rights of LGBT citizens as well, but that will go away when they finally learn it's bad for business.  There are some level-headed progressives working to correct the situation, and 25 years from now I suspect the Tulip Festival will be more crowded then ever. I mean please.

"The Baker Twins" photographs, 1943 by anonymous.  Collection Jim Linderman 

You might also be interested in the coffee table book THE BIRTH OF ROCK AND ROLL
 

CDV Photographer Trade Card Salesman Sample Photographica collection Horton Grand Rapids Jim Linderman




Photographer O. W. Horton of Monroe Street in Grand Rapids Cleans his Studio.  Circa 1855.

Orsamus W. Horton was one of the first daguerreotype photographers in Grand Rapids, MI.
Later he created Stereo photographs.  In 1916, on his passing, he was referred to as "Grand Rapids First Photographer" and was also the first to install a skylight.  He was also known as "Practical Photographer" and listed his location at "Foot of Monroe St."

Original Carte de Visite Photograph circa 1855 Collection Jim Linderman
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Browse and order Books and affordable Ebooks by Jim Linderman at Blurb.com HERE
 

Halloween with John Spicer of Brooklyn. Snake Suit and Demon Dress all in worsted wool




The John Spicer company, a factory actually, was located in Brooklyn.  It started in 1888, and this catalog dates to around 1915, I believe.  The Halloween "body dresses" were made of worsted wool. 

John Spicer catalog circa 1915 Collection Jim Linderman
See also the books below by Jim Linderman

ECCENTRIC FOLK ART DRAWINGS OF THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES
THE BIRTH OF ROCK AND ROLL

Scarecrow from 1939 World's Fair Penelope Shoo Protects New York Wheat Garden




Miss Penelope Shoo. "The Scarecrow of Tomorrow" stands over the only wheat field in New York City.  The wheat field lasted 68 years.  Miss Shoo (as is SHOO, birds…SHOO! ) stood over the field of wheat that Continental Baking and their product Wonder Bread planted for the 1939 World's Fair.  In front of the field was a building designed by Skidmore & Owings. 

Penelope Shoo was created by mannequin maker Jean Spadea, and at least one of her costumes was a fashion design by Hattie Carnegie.  When she was removed (or stolen?) in 1930, folks wondered where Shoo went.  She was STOLEN by pranksters from Columbia University to be used at the Columbia / Princeton football game.  The anonymous thieves returned her, sans arms, to Continental Bakery.  A color film from 1939 which documented Penelope is HERE.


Original snapshot 1939 "Penelope Shoo" collection Jim Linderman
Books by the author available HERE
The Birth of Rock and Roll by the author available HERE

Chief Paul Protects the Public from Peep Show Perversion Second City Smut Vintage Sleaze Midget Movies

Chicago citizens will sleep better knowing the pin-up peep shows have been unplugged by Chief Investigator Paul Newey. Since there was no other crime in the second city on this day in 1959, Chief Paul invited the press over to see his collection of confiscated coin-op smut. Paul's pursuit of the peep shows was crime-bustin' action of the highest order. To celebrate (and convince the public Newey was on top of the situation) he flicks his ashes on the filthy coin slot in distain!

Original Press Photograph (8" x 13") Unknown Chicago Paper 1959 Collection Jim Linderman

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Books and Downloads by Jim Linderman Available HERE



Moonshine served HERE Moonshine Party TONIGHT!


Moonshine party!  Original Snapshot no date. The best song about the powerful brew is, of course, that sung by the legendary Possum....George Jones.  For related images of inebriated joy and passion set to music, see the new book THE BIRTH OF ROCK AND ROLL available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the publisher  Dust to Digital